c. seems to refer back to
that of St John, which they had just left.--E.]

[Footnote 248: This language seems partly corrupted.--_Hakluyt_.

Two of the words in this short specimen have been evidently adopted from
the Portuguese, _bassina_ and _molta_.--E.]

In the morning of the 8th, we had sight of the Portuguese castle of
Mina, but the morning being misty we could not see it distinctly till we
were almost at Don Johns town, when the weather cleared up and we had a
full view of the fort, beside which we noticed a white house on a hill,
which seemed to be a chapel. We stood in towards the shore, within two
English miles of Don Johns town, where we anchored in seven fathoms. We
here found, as in many places before, that the current followed the
course of the wind. At this place the land by the sea is in some places
low, and in others high, everywhere covered with wood. This town of Don
John[249] is but small, having only about twenty huts of the negroes,
and is mostly surrounded by a fence about the height of a man, made of
reeds or sedge, or some such material. After being at anchor two or
three hours, without any person coming off to us, we manned our boats
and put some merchandize into them, and then went with our boats very
near the shore, where we anchored. They then sent off a man to us, who
told us by signs that this was the town belonging to Don John, who was
then in the interior, but would be home at sunset. He then demanded a
reward, as most of these people do on first coming aboard, and on giving
him an ell of cloth he went away, and we saw no more of him that night.
In the morning of the 9th we went again near the shore with our boats,
when a canoe came off to us, from the people in which we were informed
by signs that Don John was not yet come home, but was expected that day.
There came also a man in a canoe from another town a mile from this,
called Don Devis[250], who shewed us gold, and made signs for us to go
there. I then left John Saville and John Makeworth at the town of Don
John, and went in the Hind to the other town, where we anchored, after
which I went in the boat close to the shore near the town. Boats or
canoes soon came off to us, shewing a measure of 4-1/2 yards, and a
weight of an angel and 12 grains, as their rule of traffic, so that I
could make no bargain. All this day our people lay off Don Johns town
and did nothing, being told that he was still absent.

[Footnote 249: Or Don _Juan_